Bass Pro remains committed to Memphis

Bass Pro executives and Memphis city officials met Aug. 28 to discuss plans for the downtown Memphis Pyramid Arena.

Nothing groundbreaking came from the meeting, but both sides seemed to leave reassured about the retailer’s ambitious plans for the property.

The 32-story, stainless steel arena housed the Memphis Grizzlies basketball team from 2001 to 2004. Since then, it’s been vacant and a drain on the city, which owes more than $20 million on it.

Bass Pro proposed in February to rent the Pyramid for up to $1 million a year and invest another $75 million to $100 million to transform it into one of the chain’s most unique outlets. The store would likely open in 2008 and feature a hotel, restaurant, aquarium, museum, education center and marina.

Since February, city officials had become anxious that Bass Pro was being noncommittal and moving too slowly on the project. Mayor Willie Herenton threatened to shop the arena with other developers if Bass Pro didn’t make progress.

Bass Pro spokesman Larry Whiteley said the meeting went well, though he declined further comment.

Memphis didn’t issue Bass Pro a development deadline. Memphis Chief Financial Officer Robert Lipscomb told WREG-TV in Memphis, “I think we’re all agreed, it’s a great project, and we’re moving forward on it.”

Lipscomb didn’t return Springfield Business Journal’s phone calls.

Bass Pro, which operates more than 30 stores in the United States and Canada, might be having problems in other markets as well.

It announced a new store in 2004 in Buffalo, N.Y., but has yet to break ground on it. San Antonio Express-News sports columnist Ron Henry Strait wrote Aug. 28 that Bass Pro appears to be behind schedule on a new store slated for a late October opening there.

Whiteley said there haven’t been delay problems in Buffalo or San Antonio. People needlessly worry about delays at every new store, he said.

“There are times when you look at a store the day before it opens and think, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s no way they’ll get it open,’” he added.